OxygenOS 12 (Android 12) closed beta starts for the OnePlus 8 series

OnePlus is ramping up its beta program.

What you need to know

• OnePlus has begun recruiting OnePlus 8 owners for the OxygenOS 12 beta.
• The closed beta will only accept 200 people with the OnePlus 8/8 Pro and 200 8T owners.
• The beta program will be short-term ahead of the stable Android 12 release for OnePlus 8 devices.

OnePlus has begun recruiting more beta testers for its OxygenOS 12 update. This time, the company focuses on the OnePlus 8 series devices.

The company announced the closed beta program on Friday, stating that it will be a short-term program as opposed to previous long-term beta programs that the company has conducted. This suggests that the company may plan to release the update sooner rather than later for anyone still rocking some of 2020’s best Android phones.

The closed beta is limited to only 400 OnePlus 8 owners; specifically, the company wants 200 OnePlus 8/OnePlus 8 Pro owners and 200 OnePlus 8T owners to participate.

To participate, you obviously need an eligible device, be an active OnePlus Community member, be willing to put up with an unstable built, and actively communicate to the team about bugs. You also have to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and promise not to expose any content of the program to anyone outside of the project team.

The OnePlus 9 devices went through a similar closed beta before the company released the public beta not long after.

OxygenOS 12 (as seen above) is an amalgamation of OnePlus and OPPO’s respective Android flavors merging together as one, with our Harish Jonnalagadda saying that it’s more ColorOS 12 than anything. He says that while he likes the direction OxygenOS is going, he worries that OnePlus is losing its identity by merging the OSes.

If you’re a OnePlus 8 owner and you’re interested in beta testing OxygenOS 12, you can sign up using OnePlus’ application form.

A worthy upgrade

OnePlus 9

$730 at Amazon
$730 at Best Buy

A worthy contender

The OnePlus 9 is an impressive Android device with great specs and a better camera. Designed with Hasselblad, the camera system brings impressive color reproduction and wide-angle shots with less distortion than other Android phones.